Re: Tru Johnson Arrested for Drunk Driving

Originally Posted by J-RodRamFan

You know if he were to have a great season this year you wouldn't still look down on him because of this mistake.

Actually, I don't "look down on him" now. He made a very serious mistake, but we all make mistakes. I'm not going to minimize it, but I don't consider him a pariah either. However, if you mean that a good season from him will make me forget this, then you're mistaken.

He's a young man that got very lucky this time. Hopefully, that's all he needs to learn this life lesson.

"Before the gates of excellence the high gods have placed sweat; long is the road thereto and rough and steep at first; but when the heights are reached, then there is ease, though grievously hard in the winning." --- Hesiod

Re: Tru Johnson Arrested for Drunk Driving

I saw the headline "Rams Cornerback Arrested for DUI" and i thought GODDAMMIT JANORIS!!

seriously though, i wouldn't get fired from my job for getting a DUI, no reason why Johnson should get fired from his for it. Mistakes happen, he just needs to get on with becoming a better football player

Re: Tru Johnson Arrested for Drunk Driving

I'm sorry I don't find something that frequently results in death and mutilation to be trivial.

Originally Posted by lostsoul

This is a moronic statement. There are WAY too many deaths because of this idiotic decision. Nothing trivial about it.

With that said, I believe in innocent until proven guilty, and this doesn't seem like a usual DUI, So i will wait until all of the facts come out before determining judgement.

If he did drive drunk he made a stupid mistake which hopefully he can learn from.

Originally Posted by UK Ramfan 83

You've obviously never dealt with family who have been bereaved due to the actions of a selfish intoxicated moron behind the wheel of vehicle.

Ask Susan Gutweilers family if drink driving is trivial?

Many talented people lose their jobs for drink driving, first offence or no. Footballers should be no different, irrespective of their ability. It's just a business remember.

Originally Posted by TorontoRam

I agree with you UK. I almost replied to the post but didn't know if saying something about a DUI never being a trivial matter was off-topic. I have heard some folks who have had one or more try to rationalize and trivialize it, however. When it comes to NFL players it's even more egregious and inexcusable IMO, not because it's more or less serious when an NFLer gets one, but because they can afford to call a friend, a cab, a limo.... No one should drive drunk, unless they don't have cabs, friends, or limos in their area, in which case they live in the middle of a desert somewhere.

Originally Posted by RealRam

That's clearly part of the problem: considering and calling these DUI / DWI issues "so trivial".

Especially among young people. There's such a levity and nonchalant attitude towards drinking...

NFL players are usually expected to be role models. Hopefully our Tru man will soon get there and be able to redeem himself by teaching kids NOT to take this as trivial despite all the alcohol advertising campains that are, sadly, a staple image of the sports world.

Originally Posted by RealRam

Absolutely!

Always a shame, always a shaking of the head of many people that wonder if this kind of incident HAS to be so common! Is it poor parenting? Or the avalanche - type of influence from advertising upon immature youngsters and immature older aduts; perhaps a stupid lack of discipline to "drink responsibly" ... or 'other' reasons. Yes, 'other' reasons will always be there, for sure.

Some people, young and old, turn to alcohol or other drugs from a legitimate disorder, a mental disorder that associates them to depression and drinking. [I suffer from serious, clinical depression; I have never, ever taken alcohol or illegal drugs to self medicate (I curse alcoholic beverages)]. But so may youngsters turn to beer and booze too soon, too easily. Too foolishly.

Hopefully TJ will make it one of those experiences from which he WILL learn and not repeat.

I like how you are so quick to pass judgement on this DWI which is a 'Trivial' matter. Correct me if I'm wrong but did he 'allegedly' hit and kill anybody? No. Then stop using other cases to convict this one. It is a case of being intoxicated at the wheel and there is no 'hard' proof he was since he refused the breathalyzer.

Now off subject since this is more than a guilty or innocent case that your so appalled to the stats of drunk driving, why don't you go picket your nearest convenience store that sells cigarettes that kills WAYYYYY more people than drunk driving tomorrow? And before you open your mouth about what I've experienced about DWI and its consequences let me tell you I have lost family due to a drunk driver, had family kill someone, received a DWI myself, and live in a state that was consistentantly one of the worst DwI states in the nation for the better part of three decades. Do you know Montana's definition of DWI?No, i highly doubt it without using a search engine. Each state is different in its DWI/DUI laws and what might be intoxicated in one state is still ok in another, in New Mexico you can now BE CHARGED even if you blow below the .08 which is the limit, plus there ARE TRIVIAL factors that remain to be seen for example: When was the last time the officer certified to administer a test, is the breathalyzer been tested and certified in the specific given amount of time, did the officer follow procedures correctly??? Etc. etc... It's not clear cut as some of you like to make it out to be.

Re: Tru Johnson Arrested for Drunk Driving

Originally Posted by ZiaRam

I like how you are so quick to pass judgement on this DWI which is a 'Trivial' matter. Correct me if I'm wrong but did he 'allegedly' hit and kill anybody? No. Then stop using other cases to convict this one. It is a case of being intoxicated at the wheel and there is no 'hard' proof he was since he refused the breathalyzer.

...In New Mexico you can now BE CHARGED even if you blow below the .08 which is the limit, plus there ARE TRIVIAL factors that remain to be seen for example: When was the last time the officer certified to administer a test, is the breathalyzer been tested and certified in the specific given amount of time, did the officer follow procedures correctly??? Etc. etc... It's not clear cut as some of you like to make it out to be.

It is absolutely astounding that you insist in trivializing this matter. Unreal.

Again I say, must we WAIT for Trumaine Johnson to actually "hit and kill [someone]?" in order to call his action serious or, a stupid mistake?!? Sure, there are technicalities and personnel / equipment / breathalyzer calibrations and certifications that may vary from state to state, perhaps even errors on behalf of law officers. However, the notion of...

Drinking and drivingISclear cut.

And when this behavior and violation comes from an NFL player, it just makes it more noteworthy and shameful (as with other crimes of diverse severities). But never "trivial". Why do you think the NFL and most professional sport organizations are seriously trying to educate its rookies to avoid such blunders?

It is not so much 'passing judgement' on TJ as it is condeming the fault itself. Good grief.

Most mug shots are disgraceful; here's one from another NFL player that is insulting from both sides of the camera. Say hello to Lions DT Nick Fairley -- and ask him to wipe that imbecil grin from his face.

With 79 NFL DUIs Since 2007, It Is Time For An Automatic Four-Game Suspension
by Ryan Glasspiegel. Sports Rapport
May 29, 2012; 5:54 pm
Follow Sports Rapport on Twitter

This past weekend, Lions defensive lineman Nick Fairley was arrested for DUI after driving 100 MPH past a state trooper and initially attempting to elude the police.

The NFL has a massive issue with drunk driving–according to ProFootballTalk’s police blotter, 79 NFL players and personnel have been arrested for DUI, DWI, or impaired driving since 2007:

The good news is that the numbers are down moderately, especially from 2010 where there were a staggering 21 incidents recorded. The bad news is that the numbers are still unacceptably high. NFL players do have services at their disposal. Via Crain Lewis, LLP’s Criminal Law Blog:

At least 22 of the NFL’s 32 teams (including the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans) offer designated driver services to their players. In addition, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) offers designated driver services in every NFL city. These designated driver programs are usually available around-the-clock, emphasize confidentiality and cost the players little (or sometimes no) money.

Why is DUI, a crime that can result in death for innocent bystanders, not subject to an automatic four-game suspension [...]? Fairley’s DUI, while not in an NFL city, was still eminently preventable. He should have been on extra alert given that he’s already been arrested this offseason and cops are notoriously extra diligent on holiday weekends. It’s really not that hard to not drive drunk.

What needs to happen for the NFL to make DUI subject to an automatic four-game suspension?

Red text mine.

Below, Giants DT David Diehl in June, 2012.

New York Giants: What Should Happen to David Diehl?
By Brad Gagnon
Bleacher Report excerpt. June, 2012.

...I will toss this out there: In the NFL, why do strikes still apply to drunk-driving cases?

Seriously, why is there any rope at all anymore? Haven't we been beaten over the head by enough messages from MADD that there's no excuse for ignorance at this point?

In the past, the NFL has only come down hard on first-time drunk drivers who were convicted of manslaughter (see: Leonard Little, Donte Stallworth), but NFL players continue to drink and drive like it's a God-given right. Six of them have already been arrested under the suspicion of drunk driving this offseason, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune's NFL arrests database.

We keep hearing the word "mistake," but with the information we have and the programs in place, there's no such thing as a drunk-driving mistake anymore. There's a difference between ignorance and a mistake.

We also keep hearing about Diehl's charity work and his clean reputation, but should that matter? Ruth Goldman's car was sideswiped in the incident involving Diehl. Here's what she told the New York Post:

"Everyone's saying how he did charity earlier that day. That means nothing if you're going to be an idiot after that. He had no business getting into that car."

Re: Tru Johnson Arrested for Drunk Driving

Originally Posted by RealRam

It is absolutely astounding that you insist in trivializing this matter. Unreal.

Again I say, must we WAIT for Trumaine Johnson to actually "hit and kill [someone]?" in order to call his action serious or, a stupid mistake?!? Sure, there are technicalities and personnel / equipment / breathalyzer calibrations and certifications that may vary from state to state, perhaps even errors on behalf of law officers. However, the notion of...

Drinking and drivingISclear cut.

And when this behavior and violation comes from an NFL player, it just makes it more noteworthy and shameful (as with other crimes of diverse severities). But never "trivial". Why do you think the NFL and most professional sport organizations are seriously trying to educate its rookies to avoid such blunders?

It is not so much 'passing judgement' on TJ as it is condeming the fault itself. Good grief.

Most mug shots are disgraceful; here's one from another NFL player that is insulting from both sides of the camera. Say hello to Lions DT Nick Fairley -- and ask him to wipe that imbecil grin from his face.

With 79 NFL DUIs Since 2007, It Is Time For An Automatic Four-Game Suspension
by Ryan Glasspiegel. Sports Rapport
May 29, 2012; 5:54 pm
Follow Sports Rapport on Twitter

Red text mine.

Below, Giants DT David Diehl in June, 2012.

New York Giants: What Should Happen to David Diehl?
By Brad Gagnon
Bleacher Report excerpt. June, 2012.

Re: Tru Johnson Arrested for Drunk Driving

Originally Posted by ZiaRam

I like how you are so quick to pass judgement on this DWI which is a 'Trivial' matter. Correct me if I'm wrong but did he 'allegedly' hit and kill anybody? No. Then stop using other cases to convict this one. It is a case of being intoxicated at the wheel and there is no 'hard' proof he was since he refused the breathalyzer.

Now off subject since this is more than a guilty or innocent case that your so appalled to the stats of drunk driving, why don't you go picket your nearest convenience store that sells cigarettes that kills WAYYYYY more people than drunk driving tomorrow? And before you open your mouth about what I've experienced about DWI and its consequences let me tell you I have lost family due to a drunk driver, had family kill someone, received a DWI myself, and live in a state that was consistentantly one of the worst DwI states in the nation for the better part of three decades. Do you know Montana's definition of DWI?No, i highly doubt it without using a search engine. Each state is different in its DWI/DUI laws and what might be intoxicated in one state is still ok in another, in New Mexico you can now BE CHARGED even if you blow below the .08 which is the limit, plus there ARE TRIVIAL factors that remain to be seen for example: When was the last time the officer certified to administer a test, is the breathalyzer been tested and certified in the specific given amount of time, did the officer follow procedures correctly??? Etc. etc... It's not clear cut as some of you like to make it out to be.

Really? Is that your argument?

Well for you to down play driving under the influence with your alleged history (for me) just completely reinforces the astonishing banality of your argument.

Personally if any family member of mine had been killed by a driver that had been drinking, it would be an unforgiveable insult to their memory to be advocating the 'trivial' nature of the very reason why they are dead.

By the way, the cigarette analogy is utterly risible and totally irrelevant in this context, and highlights your complete lack of understanding.

So its now illegal to smoke cigarettes is it??

Yea, procedures and equipment should be valid, but a driver shouldn't be getting a tube shoved in his face in the first place should he!? The references to officer/equipment certification/validation are nothing but desperate 'excuses' for the 'defence' of this BS, selfish, arrogant behavior, post event.

Wow. . All of a sudden it becomes everyone else's fault just because a driver made the decision to drink and drive and got busted for it. Let me guess is this how you tried to 'get off with it'?

Re: Tru Johnson Arrested for Drunk Driving

I have no problem with anyone asserting that Johnson, like anyone else, should be deemed innocent until proven guilty, but let's be honest... the vast majority of people cited for DUI are, in fact, driving when they should not be driving.

If you presume he is guilty as charged, then I don't understand why anyone would defend Johnson.